UH Moores Opera Center to Receive Honors for Production of 'Il Postino'

A few
months after Daniel Catán debuted opera “Il Postino” in Los Angeles (starring
Placido Domingo), the composer selected the University of Houston as its next
stop.

In
April, UH’s Moores Opera Center delivered the second production of Catán’s
acclaimed adaptation of the award-winning film and book of the same title.
Audiences responded enthusiastically, and the applause has yet to stop.

Recently,
the Moores Opera Center’s performance of “Il Postino” was among the top honorees
in the National Opera Association’s (NOA) 2011 Opera Production Competition.
The Moores Opera Center received first prize in category four of the
competition. Categories are divided according to the sizes and budgets of the
productions, and competitions entries are submitted through video recordings of
productions. The award will be presented during NOA’s annual gala on Jan. 7 in
Memphis, Tenn.

“This
award is very gratifying,” said Buck Ross, director of the Moores Opera House.
“This award recognizes that the work we’re doing at UH is on par with the top
opera programs in the country.”

Each
year, NOA’s production competition recognizes excellence in operas from small
opera companies and training programs such as conservatories and academic
institutions. NOA also sponsors annual competitions focusing on opera vocals,
scenes, compositions, scholarly papers and dissertations.

UH’s
production of “Il Postino” was among the final projects in which Catán was
involved. The composer had attended rehearsals days prior to its Texas premiere,
but never made it to opening night. On the very evening that “Il Postino”
opened at UH, Catan passed away at his home in Austin, Texas.

“The
National Opera Association's first-place award to this productionis a
significant achievement for our opera program,” said David White, director of
the School of Music. “It recognizes the excellence of our presentation of this
beautiful and dramatically moving opera, just as it spotlights the remarkable
circumstances surrounding our production.”

“Il
Postino” was part of the center's Daniel Catán Project, which brings the
composer's work to UH every two years. In 2009, the Moores Opera Center kicked
off this tribute with a production of Catán's “Florencia en el Amazonas.” The
performance impressed the composer so much that he suggested “Il Postino” as
the next entry in the series.

“I
believe the future of opera in this country is tied to centers like the Moores
Opera Center. They alone have the resources to train students and the
flexibility and freedom to teach them a repertory that will soon be the staple
of our opera houses,” Catán said while he was visiting UH.

Founded
in 1955, the National Opera Association promotes opera and musical theater and
supports projects that improve the scope and quality of opera. To learn more
about NOA, visit www.noa.org.

The
Moores Opera Center was founded in 1986 by director Buck Ross and produces four
productions each season. Among the center’s Houston premieres are Robert
Aldridge's “Elmer Gantry,” Ricky Ian Gordon’s “The Grapes of Wrath,” Sergei
Prokofiev's “The Love for Three Oranges,” Carl Maria von Weber's “Der
Freischütz,” Samuel Barber's “Vanessa,” Jules Massenet's “Chérubin,” Gioachino
Rossini's “Il viaggio a Reims,” and Kurt Weill's “The Rise and Fall of the City
of Mahagonny.” Professional recordings include the center's productions of
Dominick Argento’s “Casanova's Homecoming” and a DVD release of Robert Nelson’s
“A Room With a View.” For more details on the Moores Opera Center, visit http://www.music.uh.edu/opera/.